Kobe Bryant Says Smush Parker Was ‘the Worst’

Between the departure of Shaquille O’Neal in 2004 and the arrival of Pau Gasol in 2008, Kobe Bryant was saddled with some pretty awful teammates. It’s an issue Kobe no longer faces, especially this season. Bryant took a walk down memory lane last night (he sat out the preseason game against the Blazers due to a strained right shoulder), and his acid tongue ripped into former Lakers point guard Smush Parker. Per the OC Register: “I almost won an MVP with Smush Parker and Kwame Brown on my team,’ Bryant said before Wednesday’s 93-75 exhibition loss to Portland. ‘I was shooting 45 times a game. What was I supposed to do? Pass it to Chris Mihm or Kwame Brown.’ Bryant was referring to 2005-06 when the Lakers’ roster included Brian Cook, Stanislav Medvedenko, Devean George and Parker, Mihm and Brown. Bryant continued, taking aim at his favorite whipping boy, Parker, calling him ‘the worst. He shouldn’t have been in the NBA but we were too cheap to pay for a point guard. So we let him walk on.’”